Yesterday I missed posting... the morning got busy. I thought about it all day long... but the day got busy. Then evening came. I try never to do anything I actually have to have a thought process on at night. As I get older, and maybe it was always this way, but definitely as I get older I am smarter in the mornings than I am at night.
This is true and has been tested many times. If you want me to help fix something complicated at your house, you want to schedule breakfast and morning work. Taking me late in the day is like getting left-overs repeatedly because you keep missing dinner. They are OK, but would have been so much better fresh.
When I was in college, I was a night owl AND a morning bird. That was just killer. I needed a siesta every day! I have friends and colleagues who are night owls. Once in a while, I catch one of them online at like 2 or 3 am. She will say "Wow you are up late!" and I will say "I am not up late, I just got up for my day!" Everybody has a rhythm - a cadence within which they operate best.
Lots of studies have been done on this - with regards to productivity, health, and happiness. I was always happy that the rhythm I had fallen into was a highly desirable and sought after one in business. "Early to bed, early to rise." Yep - that was me, without an alarm. But then I look at people I respect, and wow - some of them were just the opposite. Harvard came out with a study that Inc. Magazine published in June of 2017 - you can read the full article here:
In short, it basically said these things:
- Consistency is more important than the actual hours - try to be consistent
- While sleeping at night is "Better" night-time was defined as 10 pm to 10 am (I have got to stay up later!!)
- "Enough" sleep is irrelevant if it is not consistent - you still end up tired and less productive
- Irregular sleep leads to weight gain - how you sleep (or don't sleep in this case) actually makes you fat
- Irregular sleep can be a sign of something else like depression
I bring this up right now because a lot of us are not sleeping well. Our normal patterns seem to be all disturbed. I know it is happening with me, and I hear it in conversations with my friends. This is, I suppose, really not surprising at all. With the world literally turning upside down, there is a certain amount of fear and uncertainty baked right into this mess. But it is something we should be aware of, and strive for consistency even in uncertain times. Maintaining a schedule can actually be harder with more free time on our hands. But maintaining that schedule could be vital to our mental and emotional health. And hey, not encouraging weight gain right now is a huge bonus!
So, I know I am going to try and make sure I am being consistent, and getting enough sleep. Hoping you can too! Have a great Wednesday! My work day just started.
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